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The Finns are a thoroughly modern people. They are world-famous for their uber-modern design aesthetic and are wont to include any historical references of any sort in their architecture or design. And while the country revels in its modern history, it is next to impossible to find any information on the ancient roots of the Finnish people. In contrast to Norway and Sweden, Finland is not......read more

This gorgeously produced video from world-renowned artist Maya Lin really packs a punch. We love Maya Lin's work in general - her earth wave at Stormking was something the SHFT team got very excited about. A pile of heavy-hitting doners contributed to this piece, which was produced by Radical Media - one of the top production companies around. Part of Maya Lin's last memorial entitled......read more

A green shift is underway this holiday season. Sustainable evergreens are changing the way we buy Christmas trees.

Great piece in Design Observer from a couple months ago exploring the new economy of the Christmas tree, which is being redefined by growing environmental consciousness and recession frugality. Highlighting some of the tensions that exist in the Christmas ritual - pagan vs. Christian, natural vs. artifical - the essay goes on to underline some of the welcome trends in Christmas tree production......read more

Dangling cameras from kites, Dutch photographer Gerco de Ruijter blurs the boundary between landscape and abstraction.

As a rule, tree farms are less interesting to us than forests. The perfectly spaced rows of trees have nothing on the wild natural jumble of a free standing forest. But there's an exception to every rule, and, errr, this is no exception. Hanging cameras from kites and fishing poles, Dutch photog Gerco de Ruijter captures aerial views of tree farms that come off looking like geometric abstract......read more

Um, wow. WOW. After unprecedented monsoons caused massive flooding in Pakistan in 2010, millions spiders near the village of Sindh found refuge in above ground in trees, where they wrapped the branches in ghostly webs.
Although the disaster didn't grip the attention of the media the way the Japanese earthquake has, it was a devastating event, killing nearly 2,000 people and affecting almost 20......read more

Is there anyone among us that hasn't imagined what life would be like as a tree? Didn't think so. In Arboreality, Seattle photographer Laurel Schultz gets us a little closer to the feeling. By climbing into the canopy to click off shots, Schultz gives us a new perspective on these living beings we often don't notice, inviting us to bridge the gap between nature and culture by imagining......read more

German photographer Thomas Struth is among the artists generally credited with establishing photography as a major medium in fine art. The former Gerhard Richter student made the shift from paintbrush to camera in 1976, beginning a long career documenting street scenes, landscapes and plantlife. For his Prix Pictet-nominated series, Paradise, Struth traveled to Australia, Japan, China,......read more

Designer Matt Singer linked up with Monroe, Washington's Rivendell Mountain Works to craft this limited-edition backpack, with partial proceeds benefiting the Million Trees NYC initiative. The ambitious tree-planting project aims to raise one million new trees across New York City’s five boroughs over the next decade.
"Living in New York City makes you acutely......read more

Guerrilla Grafters are vandals with hearts of gold. For the past year, the renegade gardeners have been risking the wrath of city officials by secretly splicing fruit-bearing twigs onto barren public trees in the Bay Area.
Combining guerrilla gardening with urban farming, the group aims to use the city's trees to provide "delicious, nutritious fruit for urban residents." Passers-by are......read more

Artist and Tree Activist Gillian Ware on preserving and respecting the arboreal world

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way." - William Blake
Two hundred years later, Blake's words ring truer than ever.
In Santa Monica, city officials are moving forward with a plan to remove 54 mature fig trees as part of a new urban design project. Artist Gillian Ware, who divides her time between the UK and Los......read more